In main description: "...and GPS capabilities at the touch of a finger."

Under Premier Phone Features: " * Never get lost again using GPS capabilities with TeleNav GPS" (but you need to spend $10/month for this service)

Under Premier Services: " * Get directions from TeleNav GPS"

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NOTHING about direct use with Blackberry Maps! Another lesson of never assume anything!

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This is a follow-up to these and previous observations. The original post was not to support RIM, but to express that I made assumptions based on incomplete and vague adverstising by the provider. I concluded (wrongly) that the Device GPS would be without problems with Blackberry Maps and third party software.

I tried several free GPS programs; none worked with the Device GPS and I uninstalled them. One of Alltel's pre-loaded icons is for TeleNav GPS Navigator (5.1). I found out that they offered a 30-day free trial, before charging $9.99/month. What a great way to further test the Device GPS, so I downloaded and installed the program. Before I share the results, I must say this seems to be a good and comprehensive navigation program with voice commands, 3-D, and 2-D maps, with and without traffic, depending on location. For info, check out: http://www.telenav.com/products/tn/

Like magic, the installation of this program seemed to unleash the full power of the Device GPS for applications.

1. The TeleNav program worked without any problems; and it found my location in less than a minute...inside my house!

Bottom line is that something stinks...that something appears to be software that runs the Device GPS. But, if you throw more money in the bucket, it works just fine! :-( .

Message Edited by StPeteMark on 08-06-2008 12:26 AM

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UPDATE No. 2: Blackberry knows we know something is amiss. This is an UPDATE on how Alltel has REVISED their description of GPS for their Curve 8330:

Never get lost again using GPS capabilities with Alltel navigation

A little late for the truth, but now it's there. I'm going to assume there will never be a fix and, if you want it, it's gonna cost you $10 more per month. I cancelled TeleNav before the end of the 30-day free trial. It's a really good program and worth the money. But I just don't need it right now.

Re: How GPS works on CDMA BlackBerry® smartphones

Since I first reported this to them soon after buying my BlackBerry in April, the date for a fix has moved from April to May, then to June, then to July, then to August, then to September, and now to October. I would have to be pretty stupid to think a fix will actually be available in October.

RIM, PARTICIPATE IN THE CONVERSATION. TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. You have over 8000 employees. Surely one of them has some time to engage in a conversation with some extremely dissatisfied customers who are only dissatisfied because of very real problems with your product.

Re: How GPS works on CDMA BlackBerry® smartphones

I just called Telus again. Same answer I've been getting since April: "The fix will be out in just a few more weeks". So, I think we'll probably be close to or maybe even into November now, big surprise.

The Telus guy told me to install a beta version from the web if I wanted GPS to work now, otherwise if I wait, it is definitely fixed in the 4.5 version - he says we absolutely will be able to "get a GPS lock" and RIM has clearly stated this in an email to Telus / employees.

I still doubt GPS is going to work when 4.5 comes out. I've personally seen one of these beta versions (version 4.5.0.66), and GPS does not appear to work in that version (well, maybe once out of every 100 or so tries).

RIM, PARTICIPATE IN THE CONVERSATION. Tell us what is going on, or in the future we will buy phones from your competitors. The competion is heating up, the last thing you want is to be the one company who doesn't care about its customers up against people like Apple and Google who clearly DO.

RIM, if we're not getting the GPS fix that you and your partners have promised us in April, May, June, July, August, September and October, why don't you just come out and say it so I can stop wasting my time?

If this piece of junk is going to be obsolete before I get the feature I bought it for, tell me so I can buy something that works. You're the ones who screwed up here, not me. Stop punishing me.

Re: How GPS works on CDMA BlackBerry® smartphones

I just received a new Telus Blackberry Curve 8330, and found the GPS would not lock. I had a similar problem with my last Blackberry (an 8830 World Edition) but I was able to get around it by running GPSed in the background. This trick is not working on my new Curve.

After much fiddling around, I found out that if I dial the *22803, then 1 and 1 to reprogram the phone, the GPS will lock on with GPSed till I turn the phone off. It's almost like it's forgetting part of the programming that the GPS needs.

I'm curious if this will help others until Telus and/or RIM get their act together...